Portable ball cleaner



Jam 13, 1953 1'- s n- 2,624,900

I PORTABLE BALL CLEANER Filed June 10, 1949 Thomas a r mz'z'h PatentedJan. 13, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PORTABLE BALL CLEANER ThomasO. Smith, Greensburg, Pa.

Application June 10, 1949, Serial No. 98,353

Claims.

This invention relates to a portable device for cleaning balls andconstitutes a combination washer and scrubber having a source of supplyfor a cleansing liquid which is released therefrom into a ball receivingportion by engagement of the ball with the device.

More particularly, it is a primary object of the present invention toprovide a portable cleaner primarily intended for use in cleaning golfballs but which may obviously be made in various sizes to clean balls orother spherical members of different diameters.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cleaning device ofextremely simple construc- *tion which may be easily held in one handwhile the ball is held and applied thereto with the {other hand forquickly and efiiciently cleaning the ball.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cleaning device whichmay be readily filled with a cleaning liquid or from which the cleaningliquid may be readily drained.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterbecome more fully apparent from the following description of thedrawing, illustrating presently preferred embodiments thereof, andwherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the ball cleaner;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal, substantially central view thereof takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2--2 of Figure 1and showing a ball applied thereto;

Figure 3 is an end elevational view of the device looking from left toright of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of a portion of amodified form of the ball receptacle or socket;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view thereof takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a View similar to Figure 4 but showing another modified formof the ball receiving receptacle or socket, and

Figure '7 is a fragmentary cross sectional view thereof takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line of Figure 6.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, and first with reference tothe embodiment of the invention as illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3,the ball cleaner comprising the invention is designated generally 8 andincludes a hollow, substantially hemispherical receptacle or socket,designated generally 9, which is preferably formed of relatively hardrubber and which is provided with an integral extension or shank Inwhich projects outwardly from its restricted portion and which isdisposed substantially axially of said socket 9. The enlarged, open endof the socket 9 is preferably provided with an annular external fiangeThe hollow interior or recess l2 of the receptacle or socket 9, which isadapted to receive a ball or sphere I3, as seen in Figure 2, is providedwith a plurality of yieldable projections M which project intosaidrecess l2 and which constitute an integral part of the receptacle 9. Theprojections I4 are disposed in rows extending both longitudinally andcircumferentially of the recess l2 from adjacent its open end l5 toadjacent the bottom, central portion of said recess I2.

The extension or shank I0 is provided with a longitudinally extendingbore l6 having a restricted outer end portion I! which opens outwardlyof the free end thereof and an enlarged opposite, inner end portion l8which opens into the bottom, central portion of the recess I2. Theprojections l4 extend to adjacent the enlarged bore portion l8, asclearly illustrated in Figures 2 and 3.

A valve l9, which is illustrated as being of hemispherical shape butwhich could be of other shapes, is mounted beyond the free end of theextension or shank it and is provided with a stem 28 which projects fromthe central portion of its hemispherical part and which extends looselythrough the bore portions l6, l1 and I8. The

stem 28 is preferably formed integral with the valve l9 and is of alength slightly longer than the length of the bore l6 including theportions l1 and I8. After the stem 20 has been applied to the shank H!by being extended inwardly therethrough, an expansion coiled spring 2|is positioned on the stem 20 and loosely within the enlarged portion ofthe bore l6. A rigid disk or head 22 is then applied to the opposite,inner end of the valve stem 20 and is secured thereto in any suitablemanner as by flattening said inner end of the stem on the outer side ofthe head 22, as seen at 23 for retaining said head nondetachablythereon. One end of the spring 2| then seats against the inner side ofthe head or disk 22 and the opposite end of'said spring seats againstthe inner side of the annular wall of the stem I9, defining therestricted bore portion i1 and designated 24 so that the spring 2| urgesthe parts i9, 29 and 22 from right to left of Figure 2 for normallyretaining the valve |8 in a position to close theouter endcf the boreportion l'i. r

A compressible bulb 25, preferably formed of a relatively resilientwaterproof material such as rubber and which is considerably moreflexible and resilient than the material of which the receptacle 9 isformed, is provided with a hollow interior defining a chamber 26 whichopens outwardly of one end of the bulb 25, said bulb bein somewhatelongated iii shape and preferably being tapered toward the open end ofthe chamber 26. Said open end 27 of the chamber 26 is smaller than theremainder of said chamber and is adapted to be stretched to engagearound the outer wall of the extension or shank l9 and may either beheld applied thereto by its resilient engagement therewith or may beadditionally adhesively secured or bonded to the shank it by anysuitable means, not shown. The opposite, closed end of the bulb 25 issubstantially hemispherical in shape and is provided with an integralexternal fiange or rib 28 having a transverse opening 29 extendingtherethrough and transversely thereof.

Assuming that the ball or sphere is is a golf ball, to wash the ball i3the cleaning device 8 is first submerged in a cleaning liquid such aswater and the head or disk 22 is.engaged by the finger and pressedinwardly of the socket 2 for moving the valve and valve stem from leftto right of Figure 2 for unseating the valve to open the bore end I? sothat the cleaning liquid may flow through the recess l2 and bore 6 tofill the bulb cavity 26. To hasten this operation and to insure acomplete filling of the cavity 26, the bulb 25 may be manuallycompressed for restricting the cavity 25 to expel air therefrom and tocreate a suction therein when the bulb is released so that the cleaningliquid will substantially fill the cavity 25, as indicated at Thecleaning device 8 is then removed from the cleaning liquid and turnedclockwise through an arc of 90 from its position of Figures 1 and 2 andso that the receptacle or socket 9 thereof will open upwardly. Whileholding the cleaning device 8 with one hand by the bulb and receptacle9, the ball I3 is placed in the receptacle recess I2 and presseddownwardly therein so that by engagement with the stem end 23 or disk22, the stem 20 and valve [9 will be displaced toward the bulb 25 foragain unseating said valve and so that the bulb 25 can be compressed forejecting the cleaning liquid 30 from the cavity 26 into the receptaclerecess l2. While the parts are thus held, the ball is revolved indifferent directions with the fingers of one hand so that all portionsof its periphery will be scrubbed by the projections I 4 and while thebottom half of the ball I3 is substantially submerged in the liquid 30,then in the recess I 2, for thoroughly cleaning the ball. The opening 29may be employed for hanging up the cleaning device, in an invertedposition, when not in use. The recess l2 of the socket 9 is sized toreceive approximately a half of the ball or sphere I3 and so that theother half may be readily grasped by the fingers for rotating andturning the ball so that the first mentioned half will be scrubbed bythe projections I4 and for thereafter turning the ball to position thelast mentioned half within the receptacle or socket 9, to be scrubbedand cleansed.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate a slightly modified form of the socket orreceptacle, designated 3a and which differs from the receptacle 9 inthat instead of being provided with rounded projections, the recess 12athereof is provided with tapered projections Ma which are likewisedisposed in longitudinally and circumferentially extending rows andwhich are formed by circumferentially spaced ribs having longitudinallyspaced outwardly facing steps, as best illustrated in Figure 4.

Figures 6 and 7 illustrate another form of the receptacle, designated 9band wherein the integral projections Mb thereof which extend into thereceptacle recess |2b instead of being substantially V-shaped in crosssection as the projections Ma, are provided with substantially flatouter surfaces and outwardly converging side walls, as seen in Figure 7.The projections Mb are formed in substantially the same manner as justpreviously described with respect to the pro- J'ections Ma.

Obviously, the cleaning device 8 may be made in various sizes toaccommodate other balls or spheres of different sizes and various othermodifications and changes are likewise contemplated and may obviously beresorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventionas hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cleaning device for spherical objects comprising a substantiallyhemispherical receptacle provided with a hollow interior openingoutwardly of its enlarged end and adapted to receive a portion of aspherical object to be cleaned, the opposite end of said receptaclebeing provided with an integral extension, a compressible bulb securedto said extension and provided with an internal cavity adapted tocontain a cleansing liquid, said integral extension having a bore extending therethrough forming a communicating passage between the hollowinterior of the receptacle and said bulb cavity, and a normally closedvalve for closing said passage, said bulb being compressible forejecting the cleansing liquid into the hollow interior of the receptaclewhen the valve is in an open position.

2. A cleaning device as in claim 1, said valve including a stemextending into the cavity of the receptacle and adapted to be engaged bythe ball or sphere to be cleaned for displacing the valve into an openposition.

3. A cleaning device as in claim 1, said receptacle having integral,yieldable projections extending into the cavity thereof for engaging theball or sphere for scrubbing the surface thereof when the ball or sphereis revolved relatively to said receptacle.

4. A cleaning device comprising a body member having one end providedwith an outwardly opening recess defining a cavity adapted to receive aportion of an article to be cleaned, the opposite end of the body memberbeing hollow to define a storage chamber for a cleaning liquid, saidbody member having a restricted passage connecting the storage chamberand cavity for supplying the cleaning liquid from the storage chamber tothe article receiving cavity, and means movably disposed in the bodymember and displaceable therein by the article being positioned in thecavity to permit the liquid to move through the passage from the storagechamber to the cavity, said body member having projections extendinginto the cavity for engaging and scrubbing the article when it isrevolved relatively to the cavity.

5. A cleaning device comprising a body member having one and providedwith an outwardly opening recess defining a cavity adapted to receive aportion of an article to be cleaned, the opposite end of the body memberbeing hollow 5 to define a storage chamber for a cleaning liquid, saidbody having a restricted passage connecting the storage chamber andcavity for supplying the cleaning liquid from the storage chamber to thearticle receiving cavity, means in said cavity defining an irregularsurface engageable with the article for scrubbing the same when thearticle is revolved relative to the body member, and means movablydisposed in the body member and displaceable therein by the articlebeing positioned in the cavity to permit the liquid to move through thepassage from the storage chamber to the cavity.

THOMAS 0. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

Number Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS

